Hi.  We are Mike and Doreen Fitzgerald and we are raising funds to bring the world of craft beer to the Hudson Valley of New York.  We have traveled the North East searching for great microbrews and then we've written about our adventures on The Tristate Beer Blog. We have had great experiences visiting breweries, attending beer festivals and learning about the vast variety of styles of craft beer. Now, we would like to share our passion and all we have learned with others.

A craft or micro-brewery is small, independent and traditional.  Of the 2000 breweries in the US, about 95% of them would be classified as craft brewers.  Many of these breweries have a strong local following but have difficulty breaking into other markets.  Most supermarket and beverage center isles are dominated by the “Big Three”: Bud, Miller and Coors.  So it is hard for the average consumer to find craft beer.

We are looking to change this. We want to bring the best of these hand crafted brews from around the US and around the world to our home town.   We also want to create a comfortable, cool environment to learn about and enjoy these microbrews. So we are opening The Growler & Gill Craft Beer Shoppe.

The first half of our name, Growler & Gill, derives from the half gallon brown jugs (pictured above) that are becoming popular in craft beer circles. A gill (also above)  is a British unit of measure that is equal to 4 ounces of beer. We plan to bring in local breweries to serve sample gills and describe each of their beers at weekly tastings. This will allow our friends and neighbors to experience the joy of hand crafted beer.  We also will hold food pairings with local restaurants and artisanal cheese makers. Education will be an important part of our mission with regular “Beer Geek” classes, taught by yours truly, that will enlighten folks to the wonders of beer. I am currently in the process of achieving the second level in the Certified Cicerone Program. A cicerone is equivalent to a wine Sommelier or expert.

Where you come in
To do this will cost money. The cost of training for and taking the Cicerone Exam, turning our location into a comfortable, cool environment, ordering inventory, licensing, etc . . .is a huge hurdle we have to overcome to make our dream a reality. However, you can help by donating something (the more, the merrier) towards our goal. In return, you will receive some of the cool gifts and perks shown on the right, including being recognized with your name on a sponsor wall in our tasting room,  a beer tasting class taught by head beer geek MIke or a yearly membership in our Growler & Gill club.

Our goal is to raise a minimum of $10,000 in 30 days to kickstart our shoppe.  The way Kickstarter works is all or nothing. In order for us to receive the money we raise, we MUST meet our goal. If we do not meet our goal by July 14th, then we don’t get any of the money raised.

So if you'd like to sponser us and be part of the first Craft Beer Shoppe in Rockland County,  just  follow these four easy steps:

1. CLICK the green "Back this Project" button at the top right and create a Kickstarter account. It's simple; all it takes is an email and a password.  Or sign in using your Facebook account.
2. SIGN IN at Amazon.com - if you already have an account, you're all set. If not, no worries, it is easy to set-up as well.
3. PLEDGE at whatever level you like! Your card will only be charged should we reach our full goal.
4. SHARE this with your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and whoever else crosses your path! Let everyone know you are a backer of Growler & Gill.

And don’t forget to "Like" us on Facebook , follow us on Twitter or visit our Growler & Gill Website and sign up for email updates to follow our progress.

Thanks for taking the time to check us out and we hope to see you at our grand opening party this summer!!